Citroen to compete on style, not price

Citroen UK boss Linda Jackson says future models will be sold on style rather than price...

Jim Holder

09 March 2015

Future Citroens will be sold with a focus on leasing, says boss Linda Jackson, while also concentrating on offering style, comfort and technology.

Speaking to What Car? at the Geneva motor show, Jackson said Citroens will no longer be sold primarily on price, as the brand attempts to move away from the mainstream.

"Our products have to be different and make you feel good," said Jackson. "Otherwise you have to compete on price, and we don't want to do that any more."

Jackson highlighted the success of the Citroen C4 Cactus as the key example of where she wanted the brand to go, but stressed that not every new vehicle would be so extreme in its looks.

"The minute you see one of our cars you must know it's a Citroen," said Jackson. "That doesn't mean they'll all look the same - although there will be a coherence - but they must be striking, they must put an emphasis on comfortable ride and they must offer technology that people use, to make their lives better."

Citroen will push monthly leasing harder, including its Simply Drive and Flexi Drive schemes, which bundle lease costs with insurance and other overheads for a fixed monthly fee. Both schemes are expected to launch in the UK.

"If you add benefits then it helps strengthen pricing," said Jackson. "'We saw that happen in the UK with the growth of PCP sales and - in certain regions - we see more opportunity."